Telemark Course for Beginners
August 2008
Aaaah... Telemark, that most graceful of turns!
I’d always fancied having a go and coming from a background of fixed heel (apologies if I’ve just offended anybody) skiing with lots of transferable skills plus with the new local piste just down the road, surely the transition couldn’t be that difficult or inelegant? Think again!
What ensued is what I can only describe as a serious case of skiing dyslexia. The complexity of trying to reprogramme my brain to tell my rear leg to bend at some serious angle over the rear ski is indescribable (down boy, d-o-w-n), and then which leg should be up or down and then this counter rotation malarkey – HELP, I felt like an out of control Bambi with a dislocated shoulder trying to curtsey on skis. This was all a bit too much for a seasoned downhiller.
...and then there was the MCCSC’s On-Snow Summer Telemark Ski Instruction Course for beginners run under the auspices of club coaches Sylvia Mercer and Ralph White.
The four evening sessions held at the Chill Factore during the August low season attracted lots of enthusiasm from the club’s aspiring telemarkers with as many as 13 attendees travelling from as far away as the Lakes and Lincolnshire. A warm welcome to new members, father-and-son team John and Robert Frazer who found out about the telemark course from the club’s excellent website.
Stand by yer boots! In fact the interest initially outstripped the supply of telemark gear available for hire and with some serious sparring and threatening in the ranks, especially for the size 8 boots, Sylvia M had to take control and delegate us given boot sizes (yes, Ma’am). A couple of members were even keen enough to have purchased their own equipment.
On the piste we were swiftly divided into groups and carefully and competently guided through the fundamentals of that elusive(?) telemark turn by Ralph and Sylva who, to boot, offered endless encouragement and praise.
Many thanks also to Ian Johnston who helped out on the coaching team on a couple of evenings. After initially doing some pushin’ and pullin’ with Ian (!) on the nursery slope we quickly progressed to the main slope for some serious back country manoeuvres inspired by analogies such as ‘squashing walnuts’, ‘pinching pencils’ and the suggestion for us to even grunt down the slope (hey, if it helps).
I have the highest regard for those who attended the course with little or no prior downhill experience – sheer sporting genius or mere madness? Respect also for the coaches for their admirable feat.
Our activities also stirred some interest with other snow sport enthusiasts. One boarder remarked it looked ‘extremely tricky’ (an understatement, I would say) and a couple of young lads asked me “can you go faster on those?“ (I wish).
All in all an excellent course and we all came on leaps and lead changes! I certainly learned a few things and, just as important, had a great time in good company rounded off nicely in one of the alpine bars with some après TM. When’s the next one?
Fixed heels... I wouldn’t be seen dead!!
There are club meets on Sundays 7am to 9am at the Chill Factore on a fortnightly basis, refer to website or club newsletter for details.
author: Sylvia Flohe
publish date: September 2008
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